Get to Know Your Orange Man: #78, OL Joe Cruz

Name: Joe Cruz

Position: Offensive line

Year: Freshman

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 277 lbs

Hometown: Holbrook, N.Y.

High School: Sachem North

2021 stats: Everyone wants the Orange to win at home in the recruiting battle. Cruz was the top rated lineman out of New York this year.

2022 projections: In a deep Syracuse offensive line room, I don’t see him cracking the rotation in the immediate future, but there’s a frame to work with and potential for the future. He’s a very mobile lineman for his frame which doesn’t hurt. Likely a redshirt here.

How’d he get here?: Cruz had offers from Lafayette and Stony Brook. He opted to come hang out with the big boys up north.

What’d recruiting sites say?: Three from 247sports and Rivals.

Money quote: For any of you folks who want an insight as to what an official visit entails, see below:

“The Syracuse visit was amazing,” Cruz said. “It went very good. On Friday we got an in depth tour of the campus and what the academic side of Syracuse had to offer. Got to sit down with an academic advisor from my major and talk a lot about that. For dinner, we went to Destiny USA mall and ate at a Brazilian steakhouse. We went bowling after which was a lot of fun. On Saturday we got a tour of the football facilities and presentations from the athletic trainer and strength coach.”

Twitter feed: @joe_m_cruz17

Tweets of wonder: Commitment tweets

Interesting nugget o’interest: Cruz has had some comparisons to another famous offensive lineman from his alma mater, Sachem North, former Giants and Jets tackle and College Football Hall of Famer, Jumbo Elliot.

Let’s get a look at ya: HUDL!